


Swords Hold No Power Like A Servant's Tongue

by JahStorybook



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Canon Era, Fluff and Humor, Knights Of The Round Table (Merlin) - Freeform, M/M, Sassy Merlin (Merlin)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 10:47:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22394818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JahStorybook/pseuds/JahStorybook
Summary: After discovering Merlin hiding after a fight once more, Arthur and the knights have been teasing him mercilessly. Without really meaning to, he puts them all in their place one afternoon.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 736





	Swords Hold No Power Like A Servant's Tongue

Their camp had been overrun with bandits. That's the only thought Arthur could really hold onto as he fought. Bandits. In the camp.

Had everyone managed to wake up? That was another thought, one he pushed away. Focus on the bandits. Worry later. 

And he did worry later, when he was looking around at his knights and didn't see the all too familiar head of black hair or the small flash of red his servant had donned that morning. For all of about three seconds, Arthur was spinning around looking at the bodies around them, his heart racing. No lanky raven haired boys, no familiar red neckerchiefs, no Merlin. 

"Merlin!" Gwaine looked up at that, standing from the bandit he hovered over. Confusion first, then fright as he looked around at the bodies on the ground, searching for a familiar face.

"Merlin?" All the knights seemed to freeze, holding their breath and waiting. They'd lost track of him at some point. How had they lost track of him?

"I'm up here," a voice called then, and Arthur turned so fast he nearly lost his balance. Merlin, with absolutely no grace, fell from the tree over their camp, landing on his back in the leaves with a soft thud. " _Ow_."

* * *

"Sire, I think this should be sharpened soon, it's getting dull," Merlin said absent minded one day, looking at Arthur's sword carefully while the knights trained around them. 

"What would you know about swords, Merlin? Last I checked you preferred branches!" Arthur took the sword that was held carefully in Merlin's hands and looked it over before deciding it could use work. He put it in it's sheath at his belt, rather than let Merlin know he was right. He didn't miss the way Merlin glared at him at that. Rather than insult him back, though, Merlin just sat on the ground and started polishing the boots Elyan had dropped before him. His dejected mood only made the knights laugh. 

"Careful, Merlin. Sword might bite," Elyan said, grinning at the servant.

"I'm not afraid of the sword. I'm not some sniveling coward." They all stopped laughing. Gwaine seemed to sober the fastest, eyes turning downward in shame before he looked to the servant he called a friend. 

"Merlin, we didn't-"

"Shut up, Gwaine. I'm not afraid of swords and fighting and death, as much as all of you seem to think I am. And you lot know better than anyone should that anyone can learn to fight, and that I'm not incapable of it." Percival and Elyan looked like they were about to say something to counter his point, but Arthur didn't really give them the chance.

"Looks like someone finally found their bark back; I thought we'd have to start throwing things to get you back to your usual self. No need to be embarrassed about those bandits, Merlin, we already know you can't wield a sword." Merlin stood up then, abandoning the brush and boot he'd been working with to stare Arthur down, even if they were near equal in height at best.

"I _won't_ fight. I could, it's never been that I can't, but I _won't_. Not with your pointy little sticks and your heavy armor and your need to hit things smaller than yourself. I wasn't born to fight, Arthur, never learned to enjoy taking the life of an animal or pride in that of a man. You can all laugh and make fun of me, but it's true. I'm just a servant, your servant, and I'm not embarrassed or ashamed of that." Nodding to himself suddenly, Merlin realized he was almost yelling now and with a small flush of his cheeks turned and left.

Arthur was left staring at the spot where Merlin had been standing, too shocked to bother with reprimanding his servant for abandoning his work or raising his voice. As if reprimanding him would help the situation, Arthur realized glumly. Merlin was angry and that meant he could expect his servant and lover to ignore him until Arthur apologized. He'd never abandoned his duties so brazenly before! 

"Well, I guess we'd better get back to training," Leon said, snapping out of whatever train of thought Merlin pushed them all into. Gwaine and Percival looked to be quite frozen still, and Leon left them to stand there, thinking.

"I feel very insulted and guilty and I'm not really sure why," Gwaine said at last, breaking the silence between the knights and their prince. 

"We didn't say he should be ashamed, did we," Percival asked him, and Arthur could appreciate that he wasn't the only one wondering such a thing. 

"Maybe not in those words." None of them had seen Lancelot watching them, but Arthur had to resist the urge to stand straighter before the noble knight. He was a prince, damn it, he wasn't going to feel inferior to a knight just because Lancelot was so much better than them at not tormenting Merlin. "I wouldn't worry about it too much, though. Merlin isn't angry, he's just off fetching some water I think." 

"What," Gwaine choked out, looking around. Sure enough Merlin was already on his way back through the training yard, a bucket between his arms. He pointedly did not look at the knights he passed and walking straight into the tent where Arthur kept his armor before tournaments. "He left... to get water."

"Well you didn't think he'd really throw all that at you and run, did you? Merlin isn't a coward," Lancelot said with a smile, clapping Gwaine on the shoulder before offering Arthur a nod and making his way towards Leon. 

"I think that's twice now that I've been told off, and I'm quite sure neither of them even meant to do it." Arthur sounded almost disbelieving. Gwaine's eyes narrowed, glancing at Lancelot briefly.

"Oh I'm not so sure of that. _Lancelot_ definitely meant to do it." 


End file.
